Manchester Ship Canal. Credit: Priestley & Sons Egremont/Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesManchester Ship Canal. Credit: Priestley & Sons Egremont/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Manchester Ship Canal. Credit: Priestley & Sons Egremont/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

16 unique photos of Salford Quays showing how it’s changed – from construction to the present day

These archives pictures show Salford Quays has changed enormously over the last century or so.

Salford Quays today is a hive of activity. It has bars, restaurants, a shopping centre, a theatre, a museum, a watersports centre, residential buildings, a gig venue, a football stadium and it’s even home to the BBC.

But it wasn’t always like this. Opened by Queen Victoria in 1894, Salford Docks – as they were then known – helped Manchester trailblaze its way into the Industrial Revolution, connecting the city’s industry to the rest of the world. Then, after the docks’ closure in the eighties and years of dereliction, it became one of the largest urban regeneration projects the UK has ever seen.

Its evolution continues today, with more and more businesses and people moving in, and new developments taking shape. There is so much demand for Salford that this area is growing faster than anywhere else in the North West, according to ONS data.

Here’s a look back at Salford Quays through the ages, from the birth of the Manchester ship canal all the way to the present day and MediaCityUK.

Its evolution continues today, with more and more businesses and people moving in, and new developments taking shape. There is so much demand for Salford that this area is growing faster than anywhere else in the North West, according to ONS data.